Okay, I’m going to be realistic here. I am a Type B person and like to go with the flow. Schedules are nice, but they are just a suggestion to my reality.
However, the older I get and the more I get into this writing “thing” the more I am beginning to realize I have to define my time or I will not get anything done.
My Many Hats:
Without including my non-writing hats, here are the things I need to typically do for my writing.
Twitter- Author Facebook Page
- Write Blogs
- Critique my partners’ works
- complete writing lessons for the Storycrafters’ Program I’m enrolled in
- Plot my own book
- Write on my own book
That is a lot, and to be honest I am still struggling to figure it out, but I have gleaned a few tips.
Tips for Time
Define Your Time
One thing that has helped is I have defined my writing time and I really do try to stick by it. With my crazy life, the only defined time I can commit to writing is from 9PM to 11PM or until whenever I succumb to exhaustion or adult responsibilities.
I work part-time, so there are occasions I get downstairs to write (like today). But for the most part, I devote my Monday through Thursday (and Fridays if I can swing it) to my evening writing.
Blocking Tasks
I have also learned to block my writing time for certain activities.
At the beginning of the month, I devote 2 -3 days setting up all my Twitter and Facebook posts for the month through Hootsuite. Then I just check in on them (usually through my phone on the go) throughout each day. I also write all my blog posts for the month – or try to.
I haven’t quite been consistent with my critiquing, but my goal is to make one day a week my critiquing day. And for the sake of holding myself responsible, I’m going to make Monday’s my critiquing day because I’m not back into the swing of writing after the weekend.
Every Thursday commit to attending the Novel.Academy Pep Talks and working on Storycrafter lessons after. Currently, those lessons are lining up with plotting my writing, so I tend to work on those through the week.
I guess the bottom line is to plan your time in order to be productive.
Planning Your Time: A How-to Checklist
- Define your time.
- Make a list of what you need to get done.
- Estimate how long it will take to complete each task.
- Group quickly completed tasks together and knock them out first.
- Prioritize them.
- Select a time frame to complete each task.
- Sit your bottom in your chair, and get it done.
Well, my time is up and I better be zooming out the door for my “real” job. Happy writing!
Crystal Caudill 